Extensible leg for tripods



Aug. 22, 1950 A. c. COUTANT ET AL.

EXTENSIBLE LEG FOR TRIPODS Filed Dec. 13, 1946 Z Sheet -Sheet 1 22,1950A. c. COUTANT; ET AL," 2,519,549

EXTENSIBLE LEG FOR TRIPODS 2 Sheets-Shget -2 Filed Dec. 13, 1946 fi Fig.3

rig

Fig.5.

s 5% mm um wk 6 C 1r M A ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 22, 1950 ATENT OFFICEEXTENSIBLE LEG FOR rarrons Andr Clment Coutant and Jacques Mathot,Paris, France Application December. 13; 1946, Serial No. 716,037 InFrance December 28, 1945 This invention has for its object a tripodadapted to support picture-taking cameras, geodetical, levelling andlike apparatus and departing from usual extensible tripods by particulararrangements intended to secure increased stiffness and strength as wellas quicker dismounting without the liability to loss of nuts or otherconnecting parts.

These arrangements will be described with reference to the appendeddrawing in which an embodiment of a tripod according to the invention isshown by way of example.

Figure 1 is an elevational view of the whole tripod.

Figure 2 shows one of the legs in front elevational view.

Figure 3 is a side elevational view.

Figures 4 and 5 are enlarged cross-sectional views taken on lines IV-IVand V-V in Fig. 2.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional view of the head taken on thefulcrum axis of one leg as the latter is being disconnected.

Each leg comprises two members adapted to slide with respect to eachother and to be fixed in their various relative positions.

The lower member consists in a tube I ending at the bottom thereof in apoint 2 and whose upper end carries clamping means composed of a pair ofcross bars 3, 4, clamping jaws 5, 6, a

screw I projecting through the pair of cross bars and the top end of thetube and a knurled nut 8.

On the other hand, the upper member is comprised of a pair of tubes 9whose bottom ends are undetachably fitted in a cross bar l6 slidablymounted on the tube I and adapted to be fastened at any desired point onsaid tube with the aid of a jaw II and a clamping screw I2 provided witha knurled head.

The upper extremities of the tubes 9 end in hinge lugs I3 designed foreasily dismountable connection with a pintle l lreceived in one of thesides of the head 2! of the tripod. For that purpose, each of the saidlugs is drilled with a hole I6 corresponding to the diameter of thepintle I4 and extending'upwards in a narrower slot I1 corresponding tothe diameters of a pair of grooves I8 provided adjacent to the ends ofsaid pintle, one of said ends being formed with a head l9 and the otherbeing screwthreaded and carrying a nut 20.

Each pintle I4 is slidably received in one side of the head 2! on whichphotographic or like apparatus above referred to are supported.

In the arrangement illustrated in Fig. 6 one of the lugs I3 is clampedbetween the head 2! 3 Claims. (Cl. 248*188) and the head I9 and theother lug between the head and the nut 20; preferably, washers 22 madeof plastics are interposed between the bearing faces of said members toprovide for a certain amount of friction; it will be appreciated thatthe lugs then engage unrestricted portions of the pintle I landconsequently cannot escape therefrom even if nut 20 should happen to besomewhat loose. Yet, with screw 28 sufficiently loosened, it is possibleto move the pintle I4 to the position indicated in broken lines, inwhich both of grooves I8 are positioned at either side of the head 2|the lugs I3 can then be disengaged freely due to the provision of theslots I? therein and the leg can be detached immediately from the head.

The drawing shows that instead of the tubes 9 belonging to one and thesame leg running parallel with each other they may slightly converge,whereby the cross bar can be made as short as possible and the hingebase of the leg on the axis of 20 as wide as possible; it follows thatonce the leg is detached from the tablet the two tubes 9 can be pulledtogether against tube I as illustrated in broken lines in Fig. 2 for thepurpose of making the detached leg as compact as possible.

With this end in view it is necessary to provide for variability in thedistance between jaws 5 and 6 as the cross bars are moved along thetubes 9 where same are convergent; forthat purpose said jaws areslidably mounted in said cross bars due to grooves 23 being providedtherein or to any other suitable provision; with the nut 8 loose thejaws 5 and 5 can thus move towards or away from each other as the tube Iis moved out or in between the diverging tubes 9.

Owing to the comparatively large width that can be given to the hingebase of each leg maximum stiffness and stability of the tripod can beobtained without it being necessary to clamp each leg to the tripod head2|.

The unscrewing of screw I2 and nuts 8 and 29 may be stoppedautomatically by any suitable arresting means so that none of said partscan be detached and get lost.

Of course, all the details of construction may be varied and the variousparts replaced by sub stantially equivalent ones without therebydeparting from the invention. In particular, the tubes I and 9 may bereplaced by solid or hollow rods having any suitable section.

' What we claim is:

1. In an extensible leg comprising two members adapted to slide withrespect to each other and to be fixed in their various relativepositions, and of which the first one comprises at least twolongitudinal rods, a cross bar slidably mounted on the second member, toeither side end of which, one end of one of these rods is secured,clamping means attached to one end of the second member adapted to clampthe first member and comprising a pair of cross bars, a bolt extendingthrough said cross bars and jaws slidably mounted on said cross bars atright angles to the general direction of the leg and adapted to clampthe aforesaid rods of the first member by the action of the said bolt.

2. An extensible leg comprising a lower member, an upper member composedof a pair of tubes, a cross bar slidably mounted on the lower member, toeither side end of which the lower end of one of these tubes is secured,and clamping means arranged between the lower member and the uppermember comprising a pair of cross bars one of which is rigid with theupper end of the lower member, a pair of jaws slidably mounted on saidcross bars at right angles to the general direction of the leg adaptedto clamp the rods of the upper member therebetween and means to bringthe cross bars towards each other and to clamp the tubes of the uppermember between said jaws.

3. An extensible leg according to claim 2 wherein each jaw element isformed with a guide and each cross bar with a, groove in which saidguide can slide in its movement at right angles to the general directionof the leg.

ANDRE CLEMENT C'OUTAN'I. JACQUES MATHOT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in th file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 939,859 Pullen Nov. 9, 19091,394,691 Spence Oct. 25, 1921 1,598,943 Tessier Sept. 7, 1926 1,863,761Neuwirth June 21, 1932

